Product-Market Fit (PMF)
The point where your product satisfies strong market demand and customers keep coming back.
What it means
Product-market fit is the moment when your product meets a real need so well that customers actively seek it out, use it regularly, and recommend it to others. Marc Andreessen described it as 'being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market.' You know you have PMF when retention is high, word-of-mouth drives growth, and customers would be very disappointed if your product disappeared.
Why it matters
Before PMF, marketing spend is mostly wasted - you're pouring water into a leaky bucket. After PMF, every dollar spent on acquisition compounds because customers stick around. The Sean Ellis test (40%+ very disappointed) is the most popular way to measure it.
What is product-market fit?
Product-market fit (PMF) means your product solves a real problem well enough that customers actively use it, pay for it, and tell others about it.
How do you measure product-market fit?
The Sean Ellis survey asks 'How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?' If 40%+ say 'very disappointed,' you likely have PMF.
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